We can't talk about female characters without mentioning, the modern-day feminist icon that is Hermione Granger. She is smart, loyal, passionate and - most importantly, completely unapologetic in herself. There's so much I could say about why Hermione is a brilliant character, and I'm particularly interested in the popular reading of Hermione as a woman of colour. I'm actually going to write a separate post about why I love Hermione, I can't sum it all up in a couple of sentences. After all, she is the brightest witch of her age.

Lucy was one of the first female characters that I felt a real connection to. She has a quiet strength and self-confidence about her. The youngest and smallest of her family she could have been easily overlooked but she was the heroine of these books. Time and time again, Lucy's family doubted her, about the existence of Narnia in 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' and about her sighting of Aslan in 'Prince Caspian'. Lucy held her own throughout the books. Her faith in Aslan, Narnia and most importantly, herself never wavered. She may not be physically strong but she is a heroine none the less. Strength comes in many forms.

I've mentioned 'Sofia Khan is Not Obliged' on this blog before. Muslim women are incredibly under-represented in literature so it was refreshing to read a realistic depiction of Muslim life in the 21st century. Sofia is hilarious, brutally honest and not afraid to stand up for herself (see: London Underground scene). It was also nice to read a book with a female character who did not have to change a single aspect of herself in order to find love. In fact, that was a very important element of the story, throughout the novel, Sofia remained fiercely determined to find a relationship on her own terms.

Hear me out! Believe me, I KNOW Shakespeare's reputation falters when it comes to his writing of female characters but personally, I think Hermia is his best-written woman please correct me if you think I'm wrong). She openly defies her parents, yes, she runs away with a man but in those times, that would have been scandalous. She is summed up perfectly with the quote, "Though she be but little, she is fierce." Ever since I first saw the play performed live (at The Globe Theatre no less), I've made that line my life's mantra.

Who else would I wrap up this list with other than the Girl on Fire herself? She is fierce and strong yet kind and gentle in her own way. Katniss Everdeen is an all round badass. She risks her life to protect her younger sister and makes it her duty to protect Rue during the games. Not to mention the fact that she leads the resistance against a dystopian government, what else could you want in a woman?

Who are your favourite fictional women? Let me know in the comments!

I hope you all had a good International Women's Day 2017 and remember... Who run the world? Girls!